VOCAL NEWS - Literacy Volunteers of Illinois

N o v e m b e r
2 0 1 2
M a k i n g
A
D i f f e r e n c e
~
M a k i n g
A
C h a n g e
VOCAL N EWS
Literacy Volunteers of Illinois
”Right this way” calls out
VOCAL member AdriAnne
Bowe Slagle to Volunteer,
Retention and Recruitment
workshop lead by Executive
Director Dorothy Miaso and
IYC-Harrisburg Jump Start
Coordinator, Brooke Milburn
Former member (2007-2009)
Dave Sweeney was invited to
speak on the panel - My
AmeriCorps Experience
VOCAL Members Ben
Tompkins, Liz Brice and
Thania Rios pose for a photo
just before the parade.
Where else could you find coffee, donuts, Dots candy, two 15 passenger vans and 22
AmeriCorps members in purple t-shirts but at the 2012 National Service Recognition
Day ? On the morning of October 18th VOCAL members filed into vans piloted by
LVI Director, Dorothy Miaso, and Program Coordinator, Chamala Travis. They
were on their way to Springfield to take the oath of office with AmeriCorps
members from across Illinois. After a few hours the troops arrived at the Prairie
Capitol Convention Center where tables decorated in silver and blue and a
formidable lunch spread awaited us. Hundreds of fellow AmeriCorps members
filled the auditorium with chatter before Brandon Bodor, the Executive Director of
the Serve Illinois Commission, greeted everyone and introduced news anchor
Marianne Manko as Master of Ceremonies, who in turn presented the two Keynote
Speakers, AmeriCorps Director Bill Basl, who came in for the event from
Washington, DC, and the Founder of Living Lands and Waters, Chad Pregracke.
Director Basl asked members to respect the “A” by forming meaningful connections
with peers and advocating for service and the AmeriCorps program throughout their
lives. Mr. Pregracke’s speech was less formal, and despite his affinity for corny
jokes and calling out people who yawned or left the room, he was an energizing and
inspirational force as he told his story of fighting to clean up the nation’s rivers.
Ten “Breakout Sessions” followed the opening ceremonies. Members had the chance
to attend workshops on a variety of topics from Civic Reflection to Embracing
Diversity to Volunteer Recruitment and Retention, which was facilitated by LVI’s
very own, Dorothy Miaso. At the end of the day a thousand AmeriCorps members
filled the streets of Springfield and proudly marched up to the steps of the Capitol
where they raised their right hands and declared, “I will get things done for
America…”
- Lauren Thompson
Food, Fun & Generosity Abound
LVI STAFF
Dorothy Miaso
Executive Director
Chamala Travis
Program Coordinator
VOCAL AmeriCorps
Brook Milburn
Program Coordinator
IYC-Harrisburg
Debra Sundberg
Program Coordinator
IYC-Kewanee
Jeanette Kiene
Program Coordinator
IYC- St. Charles
AMERICORPS MEMBERS
Lauren Thompson
Trudye Connolly
Literacy Volunteers of Illinois
Tim Downen
Cherie Eller-Ferrell
Evelyn Martinez
IYC-Harrisburg
Steffanie Stuckey
IYC-St. Charles
BOARD MEMBERS
Alex Crevi
President
John McLeod
Treasurer
Carol Morris
Don Singer
Maria Thiel
Diana Turowski
NEWSLETTER
Chamala Travis
Editor
Literacy Volunteers of Illinois
30 East Adams, Suite 1130
Chicago, IL 60603
P: 312.857.1582
F: 312.587.1586
lvillinois.org
info@lvillinois.org
October 27th was the date and Grossinger City Autoplex in Chicago’s river north
area was the place of LVI’s 9th annual SCRABBLE for Literacy Challenge. The
event featured three types of SCRABBLE play – Just for Fun, Competitive, and, for
the truly skilled, an eight game tournament sanctioned by the North American
SCRABBLE Players Association (NASPA). The tournament drew 52 rated-players
from across the Midwest, including the #1 and #2 players in Illinois, Brian
Cappelletto, who won the World Championship in 2001 and Marty Gabriel, who
coordinated both the tournament and competitive plays on behalf of LVI.
My role in the lead-up to the SCRABBLE Challenge was to obtain donations for the
silent auction and raffle. The goal was to interest companies to donate items that
would be a magnet for bidders. I was struck by the enthusiasm of the companies I
contacted and their generosity. Some of the items collected among others included
restaurant gift cards, theater and comedy clubs tickets, a WGN studio tour, lunch
with Chicago Tribune political reporter Rick Pearson, a Chicago Sport and Social
Club Team Sponsorship, guest passes to Chicago’s legendary Jazz Showcase and
complimentary membership to the city’s very tony East Bank Club. There was good
interest in the auction and raffle ticket sales went well thanks in large part to our
roving ambassador, ten-year old Schyler Travis.
In addition to my work on the event, LVI AmeriCorps member Lauren Thompson
played a large role assisting with PR, materials development, mailings, and social
media in advance, and set-up and break-down among a variety of other things at the
event. AmeriCorps members Tanika Richardson and Ben Tompkins who served
food and drink and stayed for the clean-up and Doris Rabinovitz, who assisted with
the raffle and silent auction, played integral parts as well. And, there was inter-corps
cooperation with UIC’s Project MORE AmeriCorps program coordinator Jennifer
Jones coming by to lend a hand. LVI’s staff and board members played key roles as
well with tasks varying from event planning, to pick-up and delivery, to set-up and
tear down, with a host of high and low-level tasks in between.
The atmosphere of the 9th Annual SCRABBLE Challenge I think can best be
described as relaxed and jovial – it was friends with friends, colleagues with
colleagues and everyone there to support a good cause. Our thanks to Grossinger
City Autoplex and General Manager Brian Weinberg for the space as well as all of
our other donors and attendees who made the day. Be sure to check out our pictures
(thanks Joseph Dowling) on our web site and Facebook page.
- Trudye Connolly
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October 12th Double Training with
LVI Board Member
Carol Morris
Carol Morris, shares
with VOCAL
members how to use
everyday resources
in a classroom.
Using Real Life Materials
The emphasis of this training seemed to be on
authentic materials. Carol Morris, who facilitated
this workshop, brought some new insight into what
this word can mean. As the name of the training
suggests ‘authentic material’ is applied to making
lessons or activities based on real world material.
Not only was there a review of the materials that
could be utilized, from the supermarket savings
brochure to a recipe, but Carol seemed to convey a
sense of confidence in utilizing these materials in
authentic ways. A good chunk of this workshop was
to give us a chance to create lesson plans given the
materials Carol had provided us.
The nature of the materials that were chosen was
that they all had other possibilities of lessons that
could be taught. Depending on the specific lesson,
whether vocabulary, comprehension or writing,
different components can all be pulled from the
same recipe for sugar cookies. Additionally, that
same recipe could also be used to teach many math
concepts, including fractions and all the vocabulary
surrounding fractions.
Within this workshop, authenticity seemed to be
defined as the variety of lessons that can be taught
utilizing one specific material. An authentic material
is hard to judge but the variety of lessons comes
from the tutor. Seeing this number of wide
possibilities can be challenging and is a matter of
confidence, flexibility, and creativity. Carol
conducted a very successful workshop that
stimulated this kind of thinking that helps make a
successful tutor.
- Ben Tompkins
VOCAL
members
Ben
Tompkins
and Lauren
Thompson
test out
materials for
their sample
lesson.
Games to Make Learning Fun
The second workshop by Carol was also very
informative and had the same authentic nature as the
Real Life Materials Training. The games that were
presented were not specific games created by a
specific company, but were games made from
materials and could be generated relatively easy.
Some of the materials were as simple as a marker
and a set of index. The most elaborate materials used
were a deck of cards.
Carol led us in a discussion of the nature of games.
There are matching games, and bingo games, and
depending on how elaborate one is willing to get,
Jeopardy quiz-show-like games. Games, like
creating a lesson is dependent on the concept that is
meant to be taught. A wide variety of games can be
created based around one smaller concept. Memory
games can be created rather easily and can teach a
large number of concepts. Other pre-described
games can be manipulated.
One of the games that got us involved was matching
up words from two piles that had to make compound
words. There was a spread out pile of red words and
a spread out pile of blue words. The words then had
to be matched starting with a red word and matching
it to a blue word. The person with the most matches
at the end wins. This might have been one of the
most elaborate of games presented.
Some of the other parts of the conversation lead by
Carol were simply about how to stimulate
conversation. By passing out pennies a conversation
can be started based on what else happened in the
year that your penny was minted. Games can be an
encompassing word of all activities that breaks the
monotony of everyday learning. All learners have a
distinct style of how they best absorb information.
Games may not only provide each learner with an
opportunity to see learning as fun but there might
also be the opportunity to meet a learners distinct
learning style.
- Ben Tompkins
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Teaching Multi-Level Learners with Tony Perone
Friday, November 2nd, Literacy Volunteers of Illinois were
To put a spin on formal introductions
members introduce themselves with their
nicknames.
fortunate enough to host Tony Perone once again to lead
VOCAL members in his workshop, "Teaching Multi-Level
Learners". Tony's workshop was informative and engaging
for each of the attendees. Although we entered with different
needs and perspectives, we each left with new knowledge
and skills we could apply directly to our classrooms. Tony
trained the group in utilizing self-access materials in the
multi-level classroom, shared with us some lively and
energetic games and also challenged us to re- imagine the
role of the teacher or facilitator in the classroom.
In using 'self-access' materials, Tony brought real
assignments to the training to simulate a multi-level
classroom. 'Self-Access' materials are activities that can be
done independently or in a group and are chosen individually
by the learners. Tony described creating a 'menu' or a 'buffet'
of activities and readings to offer your class. By color coding
activities, you can guide the learners to the activities that are
most suitable for them. Having multiple colors and various
assignments of each color ensures that a time of 'self-access'
is continually engaging for a multi-level classroom.
Members form sentences using a stack of
index cards with words and punctuation
written on them- also known as “word
soup”.
Tony participates in group activities to
encourage members to re-imagine the
role of the facilitator.
The games Tony included in the training were a favorite
among many; he was energetic and excited about each one.
The activities he included in the training, including 'word
soup', 'I am a tree' and 'imaginary ball' were fun for the
participants and also incredibly versatile. Not to mention
they were each pretty silly! Tony challenged workshop
participants to re-imagine the role of the facilitator
throughout the workshop. As the facilitator, you cannot be a
passive observer, but rather need to be engaged in the
activities you are presenting. He played each of the games
with us and was actively engaged with different members
while they were utilizing the self-access materials.
Tony's energy and enthusiasm were certainly received well
by the LVI members who attended his training. It was great
to spend the day with a seasoned professional who was
willing to share his knowledge and expertise with us.
Thanks, Tony!"
- Liz Brice
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Tim Downen
IYC-Harrisburg
Tim grew up in the small town of Royalton in southern Illinois. He has an
Associate of Arts Degree in Kinesiology from Rend Lake College in Ina,
Illinois and is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology at
Southern Illinois University (SIU) in Carbondale. In addition to his studies,
and his AmeriCorps service, Tim is also an E-4 Specialist in the Army
National Guard. His unit is based in Frankfort, Illinois where two days a
month and two weeks a year, he serves as a team leader for 4 men ensuring
they are prepared for their training and have all of the equipment they need.
He also worked for two years at Dairy Queen in Christopher, Illinois.
Tim is a part-time member at IYC-Harrisburg where, within the Jump Start programs, he serves as a
one-to-tutor for the youth in both reading and math. Recently he has also begun working as an in-class
tutor for youth enrolled in the Centers virtual high school.
Tim says he joined VOCAL AmeriCorps to make a difference and gain experience working with
children. “One of the rewards of being a tutor is watching the light bulb go off in the youth’s head and
knowing you had something to do with it” he said. For now, Tim feels that the Army National Guard
will continue to be a part of his future, but he also sees himself teaching high school Physical Education
and coaching baseball.
Cherie Eller-Ferrell
IYC-Harrisburg
Cherie was born in Minot, North Dakota and grew up in Northern California.
She attended Pacific Union College for two years, where she met and married
her husband. From there they moved to Washington DC, where he was in a
seminary. His work within the ministry took them to various locations in
California, Florida, Maryland, Mississippi, Arkansas, Illinois, Montana, Idaho,
and Tennessee. During this time she home-schooled all six of her children,
worked a farm, became a CNA, worked in printing, and eventually, went into
food services and became the Food Services Supervisor at school she had been
a student - Union Pacific College. She came to southern Illinois in 2007.
Cherie became a tutor in LVI’s Jump Start program in the summer of 2010, coming in once a week for
two hours. When learning that she could join AmeriCorps and come in as much as 20 hours a week and
earn a living allowance too, she jumped at the opportunity.
Cherie is now in her third year of serving as a part-time member at IYC-Harrisburg, where she tutors
youth one-on-one, primarily in reading, and assists with tutor recruitment. She joined AmeriCorps
because she loves to serve and enjoys working with young people. Her task she says is to help the
young men succeed. For her, the rewards of the work are seeing the boys grow in their reading and
math skills and finding them beginning to enjoy areas that they had previously struggled with or even
hated. Her biggest challenge is working with boys who are struggling with learning deficits, which they
often acknowledge have been caused by drug use. For the near future, Cherie is looking towards another
year of service.
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Evelyn
Martinez
Steffanie
Stuckey
IYC
Harrisburg
IYC
St. Charles
Evelyn was born and raised in Pope County in far
southern Illinois. After high school she moved to
Springfield, where she met and married her husband,
who was a co-worker in the office of the Illinois
Secretary of State. While expecting the first of what
would be five children, the young couple moved to
Rockford, where her husband was from, and
remained there for 50 years. While raising her family,
Evelyn returned to school and earned an Associate of
Arts Degree in Elementary Education from Rock
Valley Community College. She then taught for 12
years at Faith Tabernacle School, where she said she
especially enjoyed her time in lesson planning,
conducting reading groups, and meeting with parents.
Upon retirement in 2000, Evelyn returned to southern
Illinois and settled in Harrisburg. She returned to
work also as a part-time as a home health aide.
Steffanie was born and raised in the south suburbs
of Chicago. She currently resides in DeKalb, the
home of Northern Illinois University (NIU), where
she received a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism with
a minor in English.
Evelyn came to the Jump Start program in late 2011
as a volunteer tutor and, upon learning of the
AmeriCorps program, submitted an application to
became a “minimum-time ”member in April 2012.
She renewed her service and became a full-time
member this past September.
Steffanie is serving as a Literacy Specialist at IYCSt. Charles, where she is tutoring youth one-onone, assisting in the virtual classrooms, and
providing support to the program’s community
volunteers. She sees the rewards of working at the
IYC as being able to help the kids reach their
academic goals and to serve as a positive role
model. The challenge she notes is working in a
prison environment where everything is unfamiliar
and there are many, many rules to follow.
Evelyn said she joined AmeriCorps to teach and
loves working one-on-one with the youth in the IYC
where she counts among the rewards, the good vibes
she gets when she sees the young men start to believe
in themselves and the good rapport she has with the
students, school faculty and Center staff. While there
are challenges to working in the Center, most notably
the constant repetition of teaching the same thing
many times to some youth, they are minor compared
to the rewards, she says. Post-AmeriCorps, Evelyn
says she has many plans and dreams and miles to go
before she sleeps.
Prior to joining AmeriCorps Steffanie served as a
volunteer tutor in the adult literacy program at
Kishwaukee Community College, as a leader for a
local Girl Scout troop, and, a peer mentor while in
school. In addition to her part-time service in
AmeriCorps, she works part-time as a bus operator
for a para transit company in DeKalb, where she
helps people with disabilities. Steffanie’s reasons
for joining AmeriCorps were two-fold: to gain
new experiences and have a positive influence on
others in the community.
Following her AmeriCorps service, Steffanie
plans to continue her education by pursuing a
master’s degree in writing. However, since
working at St. Charles she said she discovered that
she likes working closely with students, planning
lessons and such, so a degree and a career in
literacy could be in her future
Jump Start is an inter-generational program that targets retirees, especially retired teachers, to serve as
volunteer tutors to youth incarcerated in the Illinois Youth Centers, of which there
are six. The program, which operates within the schools in the Centers, was founded
in
by LVI in 1995 with funding from the Retirement Research Foundation and support
from the Illinois Retired Teachers Association. Funding currently comes from
School District #428 of the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice (IDJJ), the Literacy Office of the
Illinois State Library/Secretary of State and various private foundations and individual contributors.
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Upcoming Dates
Friday, November 16th
Learning to Achieve
9:00 am – 4:30 pm
Thursday, November 22nd
LVI Office will be closed
Thursday, 22nd and Friday, 23rd
Thursday, December 6th
Quarterly Member Meeting
Program and Member Updates
1:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Annual Holiday Party
5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Friday, December 7th
Quarterly Member Meeting
Topics: MBTI – What Type Am I ?
9:00 a.m. - Noon
Member Meeting
The Meaning of Service
1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Monday, January 21st
MLK Day of Service
TBA
LVI’S SOCIAL NETWORKS
November
Tanika Richardson
11/15
Keep up-to-date on LVI activities, view
photos from events, and more on LVI’s
social media pages. The LVI Twitter
url is http://twitter.com/LVIllinois.
To fan us on Facebook, visit
http://www.facebook.com/lvillinois and
click the “like” button. Links to both
social media are also on the LVI
homepage.
Steffanie Stuckey
11/27
AdriAnne Bowe Slagle
11/28
Dominique Davis
11/29
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